SeanD -> The Close Combat Mega Update Is Now Out! (6/21/2011 8:02:33 PM)

Fantastic improvements to the venerable Close Combat engine plus a sale for newcomers to the series!

Matrix Games, Slitherine and Black Hand Studios are thrilled to announce that the long-awaited re-launch and mega update of the Close Combat series is now available! These new releases mark a fantastic overall improvement to the gameplay of the Close Combat games and show the astonishing distance the series has come since its original form many years ago. Be sure to check out the video on YouTube and the preview article at The Wargamer to see what everyone is so excited about!

There’s never been a better time to get in on the famed Close Combat action, especially with our new $5 off promotion! When you buy any of the Close Combat titles you will be able to purchase another game in the series at $5 off. This sale excludes Close Combat – Modern Tactics and the $5 promotion is only valid for games purchased together in the same order.

Also, don’t forget that our Hoffa’s Body Easter Egg Contest is now starting! For all the veteran Close Combat commanders out there who remember finding Hoffa’s body in the classic Close Combat games, we’ve placed Hoffa’s body somewhere on the battlefields of Close Combat – Last Stand Arnhem. The first person to find Hoffa’s body and send us an in-game screenshot of his location along with their serial key will win a free digital copy of any game in the Matrix Games or Slitherine store!

Major improvements were made to the way vehicles and soldiers travel to way points and reach the end destination of both simple and highly complex, unhindered paths with a very high degree of success.

Soldier pathfinding was improved so that when soldiers fall behind (heavy weapon or momentarily lost) they plot their own path to successfully rejoin their team.

Vehicle driver and soldier decision making was improved to help them deal with unexpected obstacles (vehicle moving into their way , or wreck that was knocked out in the course of battle to block a path that was already determined), and get out of dead-end locations.

AI improvements were designed in concert with the re-designed pathfinder.

The "Bee Dance" of CC2 that was related to conflicts between the AI for the vehicle driver and the AI that tried to keep the team moving along the team's path that would result in a conflict about which portion of the AI to follow or "which way to go” is resolved.

Many other minor improvements were made and reported bugs were fixed.

CC: Last Stand Arnhem-only Relaunch and Mega Update Improvements

The mechanism for borrowing teams from the reserve battlegroup was redesigned.

The Grand Campaign was redesigned for improved play balance

The update is comprehensive and will bring all previous versions of the Close Combat games up to their latest and greatest version. Get the updates here: